Neuralink to spend $2.7 million on new Del Valle animal lab

A $2.7 million laboratory for brain implant research will rise in the Austin suburb of Del Valle this November. The new site, named the Vivarium Research Facility, will include a procedure room, controlled enclosures, and service areas. A filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation lists storage, sanitation, and enrichment spaces among the planned features. The term vivarium typically refers to an enclosure for small animals.

Neuralink did not respond to requests for comment regarding the specific purpose of the new site. The company's existing operations in Del Valle have focused on veterinary care for sheep, Yucatan pigs, and nonhuman primates. Current job postings for the area include a veterinary pathologist and a surgeon. The surgeon role involves performing experimental brain-computer interface procedures on human cadavers or large animal subjects. The company is also recruiting robotics and software engineers for the Del Valle campus.

Elon Musk, who co-founded Neuralink in 2016, recently drew attention to the company's clinical trial results. He noted that participants can use their minds to control a powered wheelchair. Musk wrote on social media that the technology helps those who have lost their mind to body connection. One of the company's main devices is the N1 implant, a brain-computer interface that allows users to control machines with their thoughts.

The company is currently conducting a study called VOICE. It recruits adults with severe speech impairment and impaired upper limb function caused by ALS, PLS, spinal cord injury, or stroke. The goal is to observe safety and test the implant's ability to help these users express thoughts as text or speech. Neuralink states that its median participant decodes speech at about 50 words per minute. This rate is faster than typing with an eye-gaze system.

Clinical trial participants have logged more than 50,000 hours of use with their implants. This data contributes to one of the largest datasets of intracortical neural activity. Neuralink has expanded its Austin presence in recent years. In 2024, the company spent $14.7 million to build a three-story structure. Earlier this year, a state filing showed the company planned $8.2 million in renovations to existing office and manufacturing space.

Neuralink describes its devices as investigational. The company notes that the implants have not yet been approved by regulatory authorities. Trial participants are sharing personal experiences that may not represent all current or future users. The company aims for FDA approval, which would allow the implants to become commercially available.